Scott Hansen: How Crowdfunding Can Scale Without Selling Out

When most people think of crowdfunding, they picture the early 2010s—a time when glossy Kickstarter videos promised revolutionary products that rarely shipped. It was a golden age of optimism that eventually faded under the weight of broken promises. But a decade later, a new kind of crowdfunding has emerged—one that’s not about gadgets or gimmicks, but genuine community ownership.

Few people understand this shift better than Scott Hansen, co-founder of Maverick Brands, a Charleston-based agency redefining how companies raise capital through equity crowdfunding. Alongside his partner Meghan Hansen, Scott has helped brands like Proud Mary Coffee scale to record-breaking campaigns without diluting their mission—or their authenticity.

A California Business Journal article spotlighted Proud Mary Coffee’s $1.23 million raise, calling it one of the top 5% equity crowdfunding campaigns in the U.S. According to KingsCrowd data, only 828 out of nearly 10,000 campaigns have ever crossed the million-dollar mark. That milestone wasn’t a fluke—it was strategy.

Building Momentum Without Losing Meaning

“Most founders assume raising capital means giving up control,” Hansen explains. “But the truth is, community funding can be one of the most brand-aligned ways to grow—if you do it right.”

For Proud Mary, “doing it right” meant balancing storytelling with structure. Maverick Brands worked directly with the company’s internal team to align brand voice, investor messaging, and community engagement into one unified campaign. The approach focused less on hype and more on belonging—inviting investors to become part of something they already loved.

It worked. In under 70 days, Proud Mary surpassed its $1.23 million goal on StartEngine, with demand so strong the campaign was oversubscribed.

The Maverick Model

What Maverick Brands does differently is simple, but powerful. Instead of treating crowdfunding as a one-time capital event, the Hansens see it as a long-term brand-building tool.

“Crowdfunding is about more than raising money,” Hansen says. “It’s about creating evangelists. When someone invests even a few hundred dollars, they become a brand advocate for life.”

The firm guides founders through every phase—from pre-launch positioning to paid media, investor updates, and post-raise retention. That 360-degree approach is why Maverick’s campaigns don’t just raise funds—they build sustainable communities around brands that already have something worth believing in.

Scott Hansen Advocates for Authenticity at Scale

For many founders, the biggest fear in scaling is losing the brand’s original DNA. Crowdfunding, when done poorly, can accelerate that loss—turning mission-driven companies into just another investment vehicle.

Hansen’s philosophy pushes in the opposite direction: use capital to deepen connection, not dilute it. “The best campaigns don’t talk about numbers first,” he says. “They start with the story, the values, the people. The money follows that.”

Proud Mary Coffee’s campaign proved that. Investors weren’t just backing a company—they were backing an idea: Coffee for the People. And that sense of shared purpose turned casual supporters into true stakeholders.

The Future of Community Capital

Maverick Brands is part of a growing movement reimagining how early-stage and growth companies fund expansion. In an era when traditional venture capital often prioritizes scale over soul, Hansen’s model offers a refreshing alternative: grow with your community, not apart from it.

As more brands follow Proud Mary’s lead, the lesson becomes clear: scaling and selling out are not the same thing. Crowdfunding—done with intention, creativity, and authenticity—can give founders the freedom to grow on their own terms.

And for Scott Hansen, that’s the future of business worth investing in.